The Distracted Dreamer

Carlene Bauwens
  • 5.0 (19)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Weekly

Get ready to confidently and unapologetically go after dreams! Welcome to The Distracted Dreamer Podcast. Today is the day you’re going to pull your dreams off the shelf and bring them to the forefront of your life. You are never too tired, too busy, too old, too young, too anything to pursue your dreams. Imagine… the joy and excitement of doing what lights you up. Your dreams are yours. No one gets to take them from you and no one gets to chase them - except you. Your dreams are there to guide you, to inspire you and to show you that yes, there is something more in store for you. You see, the size of your dreams don’t matter - it could be running a marathon, reading a book series, perfecting that family recipe, traveling the world, or learning to dance. I’m Carlene Bauwens, entrepreneur,  Life Coach and now host of The Distracted Dreamer podcast. I’m here to show you how to kick distraction to the curb and grab hold of your dreams. Your happiness matters. You have a big, beautiful, amazing life to live. And you've only got one of them. Welcome to the Distracted Dreamer Podcast.

  1. 3d ago

    #90: When Your Dream Stops Being Fun and Feels Like Too Much Effort

    Send Carlene a text or voicemail Have you been more focused on the effort of your dream lately than the fun of it? Are you constantly replaying that soundtrack of, "This is hard, like, so much harder than I thought," or, "This is taking so much longer than I thought it would"? If you find yourself wondering how you ever thought your dream was going to be fun, you are in the right place today. Because today we're talking about how effort and fun, they actually go hand in hand when you're doing the reps to bring your dream to life. We tend to assume that if something is worth doing, it should feel light — and the second it doesn't, we panic. But there's real research on this, and it says the opposite of what we assume. It's called the effort paradox, and it explains why the hardest part of your dream might be exactly what makes the reward feel real. I'm also bringing in the IKEA effect — a study on why we love the things we build with our own hands, and the one condition that has to be true for that love to actually stick. Plus a simple seven-minute journaling exercise to help you find the fun again when it's gone quiet on you. 3 KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE 1️⃣"This is hard, and this is fun." Two things, both true, at the same time.  2️⃣ The fun has to be findable. That's the test.  3️⃣ The more effort you put in, the more it's going to mean to you when it's done. SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER: The Tuesday Letter with Carlene right here DOWNLOAD THE FREE START DREAMING AGAIN GUIDE Check out all my coaching and course offerings - Coachcarlene.com MORE FROM ME Follow me on Instagram:  @coach_carlene SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps me reach more dreamers who need these insights. 🎙️ Thanks for tuning in to the Distracted Dreamer Podcast! See you next week! FOLLOW NOW Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast. I'm adding episodes every week, and if you're not folllowing, there's a good chance you'll miss out. Follow now! Episode Website

  2. Jul 20

    #89: How to Know If Complacency Is Slowly Killing Your Dreams: 5 Questions to Ask Now

    Send Carlene a text or voicemail You know that great year you had with your spouse? The one where things finally felt easy? Somewhere in there, date night disappeared, conversations turned into scheduling logistics, and that loving feeling faded. You got comfortable. Things were fine, even good. And somewhere along the way you stopped doing the things that created it. That's complacency. And it happens to all of us, in our relationships, money, jobs, and dreams. Today, we're talking about the difference between complacency and vigilance. We'll do the math on what it's costing you to be complacent and how to stay vigilant and enjoy the good place you're in at the same time. You'll answer five questions to help you see where in your life complacency has quietly snuck in and catch it before you get surprised if and when everything goes sideways. 3 KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE  1️⃣ The things that got you to a good place — the check-ins, the effort, the attention — are the same things you have to keep doing once you're there.  2️⃣ Vigilance isn't about being fearful. It's about being watchful so you keep the momentum going.  3️⃣ A good year is a data point, not a finish line. SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER: The Tuesday Letter with Carlene right here DOWNLOAD THE FREE START DREAMING AGAIN GUIDE Check out all my coaching and course offerings - Coachcarlene.com MORE FROM ME Follow me on Instagram:  @coach_carlene SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps me reach more dreamers who need these insights. 🎙️ Thanks for tuning in to the Distracted Dreamer Podcast! See you next week! FOLLOW NOW Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast. I'm adding episodes every week, and if you're not folllowing, there's a good chance you'll miss out. Follow now! Episode Website

  3. Jul 14

    #88: When You've Invested So Much In A Dream That No Longer Lights You Up: 5 Questions To Ask

    Send Carlene a text or voicemail Have you ever stayed in a dream, a job, a project, or even a relationship just because of how much you've already invested? In today's episode, we're talking about the sunk cost fallacy — the sneaky trap that convinces you that walking away means everything you already gave was wasted. It wasn't. And staying just to prove it wasn't wasted might be costing you more than you realize. I'll walk you through five questions to help you know whether you're moving forward because you believe in it, or staying stuck because of what it cost you to get here. 3 KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE: 1️⃣ The real cost of staying isn't what you spent — it's what it's taking from you right now. 2️⃣ Quitting something doesn't erase what it taught you. 3️⃣ You're allowed to grieve something and still know it's time to let it go. SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER: The Tuesday Letter with Carlene right here DOWNLOAD THE FREE START DREAMING AGAIN GUIDE Check out all my coaching and course offerings - Coachcarlene.com MORE FROM ME Follow me on Instagram:  @coach_carlene SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps me reach more dreamers who need these insights. 🎙️ Thanks for tuning in to the Distracted Dreamer Podcast! See you next week! FOLLOW NOW Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast. I'm adding episodes every week, and if you're not folllowing, there's a good chance you'll miss out. Follow now! Episode Website

  4. Jul 6

    #87: What Rory Vaden Taught Me About Why My Dream Keeps Waiting

    Send Carlene a text or voicemail Have you ever ended a week knowing your dream didn't move — and you're not even sure why? You weren't scrolling all day. You weren't being careless. You were handling real things for real people. And somehow the thing that matters most to you got buried under all of it. That's what Rory Vaden calls priority dilution, and it's the one type of procrastination most of us never see coming. In this episode, I'm breaking down all three types of procrastination from his book Take the Stairs, then going deep on the one that's most likely getting in your way right now. I'll also share the inbox metaphor that shifted how I think about my own attention, and four steps I'm using to protect my dreams without guilt. 3 Key Takeaways From This Episode: 1️⃣ The realization that every interruption felt reasonable in the moment, and that’s exactly what makes this so hard to see. 2️⃣ You get to choose your focus and deliberately put your dream at the top. 3️⃣ Permission to protect your dream time without having to earn it, announce it, or justify it to anyone. Resources From This Episode: Take the Stairs: 7 Steps to Achieving True Success SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER: The Tuesday Letter with Carlene right here DOWNLOAD THE FREE START DREAMING AGAIN GUIDE Check out all my coaching and course offerings - Coachcarlene.com MORE FROM ME Follow me on Instagram:  @coach_carlene SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps me reach more dreamers who need these insights. 🎙️ Thanks for tuning in to the Distracted Dreamer Podcast! See you next week! FOLLOW NOW Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast. I'm adding episodes every week, and if you're not folllowing, there's a good chance you'll miss out. Follow now! Episode Website

  5. Jun 29

    #86: The Difference Between Quitting and Completing a Dream

    Send Carlene a text or voicemail I sat down to record this week thinking, honestly, that I had nothing left to say.   And instead of pretending otherwise, I decided to talk about that. About what it feels like when a dream goes quiet, and how you tell the difference between a hard week and a finished chapter.   We've all picked up the idea that if something is truly your dream, it should feel exciting. It should be easy to want. When it doesn't, we read that as proof we chose wrong.   The question is, are you holding onto something you still want or just holding on out of habit?  We're not landing on a clean answer here. That's not how this works.  But we are going to talk about what that question actually means, and why the fact that you're still asking it might be the most honest thing you've got right now.  3 Key Take Aways From This Episode 1️⃣ You can be fully inside your dream and still have days where you'd rather be anywhere else. That's just what it feels like to be in something real.  2️⃣ There's a difference between quitting and completing, and knowing which one you're actually looking at changes what you do next.  3️⃣ When someone else's dream looks steady and certain from the outside it is often just them showing up anyway, on the bad days too. SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER: The Tuesday Letter with Carlene right here DOWNLOAD THE FREE START DREAMING AGAIN GUIDE Check out all my coaching and course offerings - Coachcarlene.com MORE FROM ME Follow me on Instagram:  @coach_carlene SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps me reach more dreamers who need these insights. 🎙️ Thanks for tuning in to the Distracted Dreamer Podcast! See you next week! FOLLOW NOW Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast. I'm adding episodes every week, and if you're not folllowing, there's a good chance you'll miss out. Follow now! Episode Website

  6. Jun 22

    #85: Why "I Don't Know What I Want" Is a Nervous System Problem, and how to fix it.

    Send Carlene a text or voicemail I don't even know what I want anymore." If you've said that to yourself lately, it's likely your nervous system is maxed-out.  In this episode, I'm getting into what happens when your body has spent years managing everyone, holding the family together, running the mental and emotional load nobody sees. Because when that happens there's no room left for your dreams to surface.  I'll walk you through what it actually looks like to reset and regulate your nervous system so your dreams can find you again, starting with five quiet minutes.  3 Key Takeaways: A maxed-out nervous system can't hear what you want.Dreams live in the margins, in the quiet, in the moments your body finally settles.Regulating your nervous system becomes how you take care of yourself in mid-life.SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER: The Tuesday Letter with Carlene right here DOWNLOAD THE FREE START DREAMING AGAIN GUIDE Check out all my coaching and course offerings - Coachcarlene.com MORE FROM ME Follow me on Instagram:  @coach_carlene SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps me reach more dreamers who need these insights. 🎙️ Thanks for tuning in to the Distracted Dreamer Podcast! See you next week! FOLLOW NOW Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast. I'm adding episodes every week, and if you're not folllowing, there's a good chance you'll miss out. Follow now! Episode Website

  7. Jun 15

    #84: Why You Feel Disoriented in Midlife — And How to Find Your Footing Again

    Send Carlene a text or voicemail One foot in a season that's closing. One foot in a future you don't quite recognize yet. Midlife has a way of reshuffling everything at once, which is why so many of us hit a wall. We're trying to move forward while standing in two seasons at once. The roles that used to tell us who we were have shifted. The life that used to fit doesn't quite fit anymore. And nobody handed us a map for the in-between. In this episode, I'm naming what's actually happening. The quiet disorientation that comes with this season. And giving you three grounded practices to help you find your footing again. This isn't about becoming someone new. It's about recognizing yourself right where you are. 3 KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE Disorientation in midlife is a sign you're right in the middle of a real transition.Your surroundings, your shifting roles, and going it alone are quietly keeping the old story running even when you're ready for something new.You don't have to see the whole path. Finding your footing starts with knowing where your feet are right now.This season is disorienting. But you are still capable right now, exactly as you are. SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER: The Tuesday Letter with Carlene right here DOWNLOAD THE FREE START DREAMING AGAIN GUIDE Check out all my coaching and course offerings - Coachcarlene.com MORE FROM ME Follow me on Instagram:  @coach_carlene SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps me reach more dreamers who need these insights. 🎙️ Thanks for tuning in to the Distracted Dreamer Podcast! See you next week! FOLLOW NOW Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast. I'm adding episodes every week, and if you're not folllowing, there's a good chance you'll miss out. Follow now! Episode Website

  8. Jun 8

    #83: Your Nervous System First: The Summer Reset That Actually Works

    Send Carlene a text or voicemail American culture has taught us that being busy, slammed, having so much going on makes us important.  Like a packed calendar is proof that we matter. But what if everything we've been measuring our worth by is working against us? Against our health, our clarity, our joy, and yes, even our productivity? If you've been running on fumes and calling it productive, this episode is going to give you both the science and the permission to finally slow down.  Not because the to-do list doesn't matter. But because taking care of your nervous system first is exactly how the to-do list gets done with less stress, less friction, and more clarity. I say that as someone who calls herself a productivity strategist. I mean every word of it. In this episode, I'm sharing what the research says about why we've become addicted to busy, what chronic stress is actually doing inside your body, and a simple summer reset menu,  backed by science, that you can start today, right where you are. 3 KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE 1️⃣You don't have to choose between being productive and taking care of yourself. Caring for your nervous system first is what makes the to-do list actually get done. 2️⃣ Doing nothing with someone you love is not wasted time. It's co-regulation. Your nervous systems are literally calming each other down. 3️⃣ The guilt you feel when you slow down? That's withdrawal. Push through it — because what's on the other side is clarity you forgot was possible. SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER: The Tuesday Letter with Carlene right here DOWNLOAD THE FREE START DREAMING AGAIN GUIDE Check out all my coaching and course offerings - Coachcarlene.com MORE FROM ME Follow me on Instagram:  @coach_carlene SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps me reach more dreamers who need these insights. 🎙️ Thanks for tuning in to the Distracted Dreamer Podcast! See you next week! FOLLOW NOW Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast. I'm adding episodes every week, and if you're not folllowing, there's a good chance you'll miss out. Follow now! Episode Website

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About

Get ready to confidently and unapologetically go after dreams! Welcome to The Distracted Dreamer Podcast. Today is the day you’re going to pull your dreams off the shelf and bring them to the forefront of your life. You are never too tired, too busy, too old, too young, too anything to pursue your dreams. Imagine… the joy and excitement of doing what lights you up. Your dreams are yours. No one gets to take them from you and no one gets to chase them - except you. Your dreams are there to guide you, to inspire you and to show you that yes, there is something more in store for you. You see, the size of your dreams don’t matter - it could be running a marathon, reading a book series, perfecting that family recipe, traveling the world, or learning to dance. I’m Carlene Bauwens, entrepreneur,  Life Coach and now host of The Distracted Dreamer podcast. I’m here to show you how to kick distraction to the curb and grab hold of your dreams. Your happiness matters. You have a big, beautiful, amazing life to live. And you've only got one of them. Welcome to the Distracted Dreamer Podcast.

Information

  • Creator
    Carlene Bauwens
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    91
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Coach Carlene
  • Show Website
    The Distracted Dreamer